Page 27

If I had been just five minutes faster, I'd have gotten there in enough time to stop the fight with Nayeli, having to expel her magic like that. I was kicking myself the entire way back to the house, Nayeli sleeping in the passenger seat using my suit jacket as a blanket.

She was right there next to me, safe and snoozing, but I couldn't get the image of her pale and weak, ready to faint, out of my mind.

I'd been in danger plenty throughout my life, and I'd been in fights that led me closer to death than I was comfortable with, but nothing had ever made me feel the way I felt when I had to dive to catch my mate.

Worst of all, it was my fucking fault. She'd sat there across from me at the bar and told me that the male toxicity within my pack was going to cause trouble, and I pushed it off for another time.

And when a fight finally broke out, my sweet Nayeli had to break it up.

If I'd laid down the law earlier, telling my pack that fighting over Omegas or belittling the female wolves in any way was forbidden, they would have never fought in the first place, and Nayeli wouldn't have had to drain her magic.

I was guilt-ridden, my knuckles white as I clenched the steering wheel. Never again.

I was determined to make it right when I finally got her home. It had started raining, just a slight drizzle, and the city was filled with the scent of the sea and petrichor. I shielded her from the drops as I carried her in, sitting her on the edge of the couch where she smiled up at me sleepily.

"Stay here," I told her. She was still too pale for my liking, and there was a tremor in her hands that worried me. "I'm going to take care of you. Don't move."

For once, she didn't even look like she wanted to argue. "Okay."

I went to my bathroom, the larger one connected to my bedroom, and turned on the hot water to fill the jacuzzi-style tub. On a whim, I grabbed some of the lavender oil from Kiera's gift basket and dumped it in.

Then I went to retrieve my mate. She hadn't moved, but was still staring out the window, her brows drawn together. She looked like an angel, all soft curves and shimmering hair in a halo around her heart-shaped face.

I didn't deserve her.

"Nayeli."

She looked up at me, and her eyes were clouded, not with confusion or fatigue, but something else. Guilt? Worry? Whatever it was, she didn't need to be feeling it. This was all my failing, not hers.

"I've got a bath running for you. Can you walk, or do you want me to carry you?"

She gave a soft, tired smile. "I think I can make it. Thanks."

I held out a hand to help her stand, and was relieved when her legs seemed steady enough.

"Go ahead, but leave the door unlocked. I'll join you in a minute."

Somehow, despite being pale from weakness, this managed to bring a blush to her cheeks. I grinned when she didn't protest. Sure, I had plenty of filthy fantasies involving my Omega and that tub, but not when she was feeling the way she was.

I snagged a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice from the fridge and joined her in the bathroom. She'd already undressed, her clothes piled on the floor, and was sinking into the warm, scented water.

I was proud of myself for not reacting like an animal, especially with her looking the way she did.

I'd seen her naked, but she still took my breath away.

I'd always liked a girl with some curves, and Nayeli's voluptuous body was my absolute favorite.

The tub was filled to the brim with bubbles, so there was a little modesty, but when I handed her the glass, our fingers touched.

She let out a soft gasp, her pupils dilating and her cheeks going even pinker. The scent of her arousal filled the air, and my dick instantly hardened. I couldn't help it. She was gorgeous, and it was all for me. I inhaled deeper and groaned. How the fuck had I missed it?

"You're in heat again, aren't you? Dammit, Nayeli. You pushed yourself when you were already in your most vulnerable state?"

She frowned. "It only rose up again because you had to stick your tongue down my throat at the bar, so blame yourself."

My eyes narrowed. "And you didn't tell me because...?"

She sighed. "Because it wasn't an issue until this morning. I would have told you when you got home, but then there was the spell, and the fight...."

"Wait, back up, what spell?"

Nayeli took a deep breath. "I was working on the bond-breaking spell. Again. Oh, get that Alpha-asshole look off your face. I'm supposed to be breaking it, remember?"

"That's not the point."

Nayeli rolled her eyes. "Well, the point is that I tried to break the bond again, but it didn't work. Something, maybe my heat, made my magic fight me, and it was pointless. And if you'd been there to prevent the idiotic fight between your stubborn, moronic wolves—"

I held up a hand to stop her. "Fine...but make me a promise. Next time you're going to work with magic related to breaking the bond, can you at least tell me? I'm on the other side of the thing, after all."

"Yeah," she agreed, and her tone was sincere.

"Thank you. Now, drink your juice."

She grumbled something about not being a child, but she did as she was told, sinking into the warm water and sipping. Her eyes closed as she leaned back.

"Good," I murmured. "Just relax."

She let out a soft sound that could have been an agreement. I grabbed the washcloth, lathering it up before reaching under the water to run it over her leg.

"Scott!" She gasped, jerking away from my touch. "What are you doing?"

I grinned at her, unable to resist. "Taking care of you. You've had a rough day, so I'm going to help you relax."

I was also going to torture myself. She had no idea what she did to me, the effect she had on my body. Just the way her nipples pebbled under the soapy water had me rock hard.

"But—"

"Shh." I pressed the cloth against her thigh, stroking her skin. Her eyelids drooped. "Just relax. Let me take care of you."

A shiver raced through her body. I moved the cloth up, skimming her inner thighs. Her legs fell open, and her lips parted.

"Good girl," I murmured. I hadn't planned on seducing her, not when she'd just exhausted herself so much, but her heat changed things entirely. If she was in heat, sex was exactly what she needed to feel better. I just had to get her to admit she needed it.

I took my time washing her, lathering up her full, luscious tits and teasing her nipples, loving the way she whimpered. Then I moved lower, cleaning her stomach, the dip of her waist, her hips. I had to hold her legs down to keep her still, and by the time I finished, she was trembling.

Trembling, but silent besides a few sighs of pleasure. "Nayeli," I rumbled, "Just say the word and I'll take care of your heat pain."

Her teeth sank into her lower lip. "No."

I chuckled. "Oh, now you can't deny I made you feel good last time at the coffee shop. Hell, you were basically climbing me like a tree by the time the night was over."

She looked away, her damp hair curling around her face. "You don't have to remind me. It's embarrassing that I lost control like that."

Wait. Embarrassed? That couldn't be right. That night had been the hottest sex I'd ever had, Nayeli letting loose and feasting on the pleasure between us, unafraid to take what she wanted from me. "Nayeli, no. You have no reason—"

"Don't I?" She asked. "I was literally begging the man who rejected me to fuck me. I know it was just physical, but still..."

She was wrong. It was a lot more than just physical. I'd felt things for her that night that I thought I'd never be able to feel in my entire life. And those feelings hadn't gone away afterwards. If anything, they were even stronger.

"I was starving to have you that night, Nayeli. Everything you did was incredible."

She shook her head, but didn't say anything. I had to find a way to distract her, get her mind off things. I was the one who'd caused this whole chain reaction of events, and it was my responsibility to fix it.

I grabbed the shampoo, squirting some onto my hands before rubbing them together and massaging the silky substance into her scalp.

"This is unnecessary," she protested, though her eyes were closed and her mouth parted in pleasure. "I can do this myself."

"Hush," I told her, gently. "I like to do it."

She groaned, and the sound vibrated through my body. Fuck, I loved taking care of her. And now that we were mated, I was getting to do it every single day. I knew it would take time to show her how much I cared about her, but I was willing to wait.

"It's a little bit unfair, you know," she muttered, eyes closed in pleasure as I scratched my nails over her scalp. "What if I wanted to return the favor?"

I grinned wickedly, cupping my hands to rinse the last of the shampoo from her locks. "I was hoping you'd say that. Scoot over."